Af-Pak -> Pak-Af Watch

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 08 Jul 2011 14:27

Use of biometrics in Afghanistan by Coalition Forces:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htinte ... 10707.aspx

One of the more useful techniques used by the American military to build its database is biometrics. That is, every time the troops encounter a "person of interest", they don't just take their name and address, they also use portable electronic tools to take fingerprints, a retinal scan and photos. All this is stored in a database, which now contains hundreds of thousands of records for Iraqis, Afghans, and other "persons of interest". The fingerprints are particularly useful, because when they are stored electronically, you can search and find out immediately if the print you have just lifted from somewhere else, like the fragment of a car bomb, is in the database. The digital photos, from several angles, are also useful, because these pictures are run through software that creates a numeric ID that can be used by security cameras to look for someone specific, or for finding someone from a witness description. Other nations are digitizing their mug shots, and this enables these people to be quickly checked against those in the American database.

They discovered early on in Afghanistan, for example, that about one percent of the al Qaeda suspects they picked up, already had an arrest record back in the United States. It would be interesting to know what the percentage is in Pakistan.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 08 Jul 2011 14:31

Now the only way for Taliban to escape arrest is to burn all their fingers, pluck their retinas out, and ask a comrade mujahid to smash up one's face to pulp!

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 09 Jul 2011 08:25

Mortars fired into Pakistan from across the Afghan border

PESHAWAR - At least 15 mortar shells fired by the US-led allied troops from inside Afghanistan landed in the Ghulam Khan area of North Waziristan on Friday morning, but no casualties were reported. The shells hit scattered areas along the border region of Ghulam Khan, a day after five mortar shells landed in Bangi Daar in a similar fashion.

The officials said mortar shells were fired by the Afghan and US-led allied troops from inside Afghanistan. In retaliation, Pakistani security forces fired mortar shells across the border, but no casualties were reported on either side.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 12 Jul 2011 00:56

CIA organised fake vaccinations to obtain Osama bin Laden's family DNA

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ju ... CMP=twt_gu

CIA ran fake Abottabad vaccination program for UBL DNA.

hulaku · Post by **hulaku** » 12 Jul 2011 12:37

Karzai's brother assasinated in Afghanistan

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 12 Jul 2011 18:58

hulaku wrote:Karzai's brother assasinated in Afghanistan

Something doesn't seem quite right ... apparently the Talibs have claimed responsibility but let us see if they issue a denial later.

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 12 Jul 2011 19:00

Pepe thinks its a win-win situation for TSP:
Pakistan 'punished' in Pipelineistan

Before the end of 2011, Pakistan will start working on its stretch of the IP (Iran-Pakistan) gas pipeline - according to Asim Hussain, Pakistan's federal minister for petroleum and natural resources. The 1,092 kilometers of pipeline on the Iranian side are already in place.

[...]

Pakistan is an energy-poor, desperate customer of the grid. Becoming an energy transit country is Pakistan's once-in-a-lifetime chance to transition from a near-failed state into an "energy corridor" to Asia and, why not, global markets.

And as pipelines function as an umbilical cord, the heart of the matter is that IP, and maybe IPI in the future, will do more than any form of US "aid" (or outright interference) to stabilize the Pakistan half of Obama's AfPak theater of operations, and even possibly relieve it of its India obsession.

[...]

This Pipelineistan development may go a long way to explain why the White House announced this past Sunday it was postponing US$800 million in military aid to Islamabad - more than a third of the annual such largess Pakistan receives from the US.

...But the measure may smack of desperation - and on top it do absolutely nothing to convince the Pakistani army to follow Washington's agenda uncritically.

[...]

Washington for its part wants a "stable" Afghanistan led by a convenient puppet, Hamid Karzai-style - so the holy grail (since the mid-1990s) can be achieved; the construction of IP's rival, the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline, bypassing "evil" Iran.

[...]

For Islamabad, Pashtun nationalism is an existential threat. So the Pakistani army may fight the Tehrik-e-Taliban-style Pashtun guerrillas, but with extreme care; otherwise Pashtuns on both side of the border may unite en masse and make a push to destabilize Islamabad for good.

[...]

What IP will do is to embolden Islamabad even more - with Pakistan finally becoming a key transit corridor for Iranian gas, apart from using gas for its own needs. If India finally decides against IPI, China is ready to step on board - and build an extension from IP, parallel to the Karakoram highway, towards Xinjiang.

Either way, Pakistan wins - especially with increasing Chinese investment. Or with further Chinese military "aid". That's why the Pakistani army's "suspension" by Washington is not bound to rattle too many nerves in Islamabad.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 12 Jul 2011 23:00

ISI Afghan desk head changed for 2nd time this year today.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 13 Jul 2011 08:06

Murder in Kandahar: What does the killing of Ahmed Wali Karzai mean?

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 14 Jul 2011 01:07

Russia is telling the Tajiks, that Russia wants to deploy FSB on the Tajik border with Afghanistan. This is because taleban escape NATO ops by coming into Tajikistan. Tajik troops are overwhelmed, so Russia wants to support these ops. FSB will maintain a presence if Tajik parliament approves. They want to secure the border.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 14 Jul 2011 16:26

abhishek_sharma wrote:Murder in Kandahar: What does the killing of Ahmed Wali Karzai mean?

Even the dead don't have peace in Afghanistan

****** pakis

Karzai brother service hit by Kandahar suicide bomber

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 14 Jul 2011 21:54

So what happened in Pasha's DC meeting?
- Hand over Haqqani as they were responsible for the intercontinental attack
- Military and civi'es who were arrested in OBL op will be released soon
- Pasha was given a time frame to capture Zawahiri (linked to 2nd term of BO?)
- Pasha complained about the pressure he is under and appeared apologetic.

Souce> ali chishti.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 14 Jul 2011 22:23

shyamd wrote: ali chishti.

Sorry if the question is noobish, but who is he?

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 14 Jul 2011 22:31

a well informed journo/businessman. anti TSPA, Haqqani etc, maybe one of the few sane journo's out there that are anti zaid hamid etc.. Read his tweets. akchishti

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Jul 2011 02:34

Haqqani's won't be given up. NDN is being expanded, Russia will replace most of Pak suppplies in the coming months.

Af-Pak has now turned into a match between US/KSA. Karzai is pro-Iran. Karzai can solve this issue easily by flying to Riyadh and agreeing to side with KSA. But Iran has the ability to impact security situation. What a mess!

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 15 Jul 2011 02:43

KSA is throwing its weight more than its real power due to oil, location of Mecca and Medina within their country, the US in ARAMCO and the Wahabi dagger at the Middile East.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Jul 2011 03:10

KSA's power has always been diplomatic, paisa, behind the scenes guys who we never hear about.

Basically, they are still allied with the US. But hte US has to speak to the KSA directly to influence Egypt, Pak etc at least this is the situation that KSA wants I think. But KSA has to look after its own interests, Karzai and the afghan govt for whatever reason are allied with Iran. KSA has no choice but to back Taliban take over, hence the statement of KSA supporting TSP interests in Afghanistan. So, what will happen is India and US will get closer - hence discussing Af-Pak on a regular basis. Pranab "exchanged notes" with Clinton. She'll be in Dilli to discuss more about Af-Pak. I think India is going to increase its role with respect to the ANA, ANP. So, theAfghan India defence pact signed recently is with US bakcing and is to scare Pak? We are already working closely with the Afghans.

At the end of the day, India has an interest in protecting Kabul govt and integrating the good taleban into Kabul parliament. So KSA & our interests diverge here. But getting Karzai to travel to KSA and offer alliance to fight Tehran will infact tighten the noose around Pak even further for us and will protect Indian and US interest. This will give a free run for US to chase Haqqani's.

Problem is US is weak now and Tom Donilon says they are "outsourcing" issues to their partenrs in the region. Turkey to handle Syria and Iran for example. Oman was handling areas of the Iran file.

Samudragupta · Post by **Samudragupta** » 15 Jul 2011 09:01

shyamd wrote:Problem is US is weak now and Tom Donilon says they are "outsourcing" issues to their partenrs in the region. Turkey to handle Syria and Iran for example. Oman was handling areas of the Iran file.

India for Af-Pak?

abhishekm · Post by **abhishekm** » 15 Jul 2011 10:26

Article from rediff.com covering Burhanuddin Rabbani's visit to India. Changing times makes for strange bedfellows...

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/rabba ... 110714.htm

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Jul 2011 11:04

Samudragupta wrote:
shyamd wrote:Problem is US is weak now and Tom Donilon says they are "outsourcing" issues to their partenrs in the region. Turkey to handle Syria and Iran for example. Oman was handling areas of the Iran file.

India for Af-Pak?

Possibly

Samudragupta · Post by **Samudragupta** » 15 Jul 2011 18:11

The Iranian government did not wait long.

Two days after the announcement that the U.S. will be withholding more than one third of its annual $2 billion in aid to Pakistan's military, the state-controlled Tehran Times reported that Iran's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar will be visiting Pakistan. The newly announced visit is scheduled to take place at the end of next week.

According to the same report, the purpose of the visit will be to "hold talks on economic, regional and security cooperation between the two countries".

The current rift between Islamabad and Washington could not have come at a better time for Iran's leaders. Feeling increasingly isolated, they could now try to improve relations with Pakistan. And, in all likelihood, the initial signs are bound to be positive for the leaderships of the two nations.

Pakistan is currently facing a major energy crisis, which some analysts believe may be the worst in its history. It desperately needs Iranian gas and is not shy to say it. "Our dependence on the Iran pipeline is very high. There is no other substitute at present to meet our growing demand for energy" stated Pakistani minister for petroleum, Asim Hussain recently.

The import of gas from Iran has been part of a long running project, called The Peace Pipeline, to build a pipeline from Iran to go through Pakistan first and then India to deliver gas to both countries. In 1995 Pakistan and Iran signed a preliminary agreement. Due to U.S. pressure against it, this deal was not finalized until June 2010.

Iran and India signed an agreement in 1999, but, due to pressure from Washington, India never finalized the deal.

Even when Pakistan did sign on, it never gave the order to start work on the construction of the pipeline from its border to import Iran's gas, until July 6th this year. Two major factors seem to have pushed the Pakistanis over the start line. One is the ensuing energy crisis at home. The other is that the competitor to the Peace Pipeline, the Trans Afghanistan Pipeline, is considered to be too risky as the main source of Pakistan's energy, since it runs through Taliban territory in Afghanistan.

It's possible that this, as well as the expulsion of U.S. trainers, was partly responsible for the U.S. decision to suspend part of its military aid to Pakistan. But, whether or not the two events are explicitly linked, the current rift with Washington has made it easier for Pakistan to ignore U.S. pressure and pursue the Peace Pipeline deal with Iran.

Not only have the Iranians secured Pakistan as a client, they know Pakistan's dire need for Iranian gas means they will not be leaving Iran's side anytime soon. Some analysts have estimated that gas from Iran provide at least 20 percent of Pakistan's energy needs. Others have suggested 50 percent.

The question that must now be asked is, how far will the Pakistan-Iran rapprochement go?

In all likelihood, not very far.

Aside from this recent victory, the most that Iranians can look forward to is the possibility of closer security cooperation with the Pakistanis against the remnants of the Jundollah terrorist organization, an ethnic Baloch group that spans both countries.

When it comes to Iran's nuclear program and its influence in the Middle East, Tehran is unlikely to find Pakistan of much help.

As new Wikileaks reports indicate, despite the help of Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q Khan in building Iran's post-revolution nuclear program, some top Pakistani officials do not want Iran to become a nuclear armed power. The Pakistani leadership, wishing for their country to remain the only nuclear Islamic state, cooperated with George W. Bush's efforts against Iranian nuclear development.

This is unlikely to change anytime soon. Pakistan, for all its rapprochement with Iran, considers it to be a rival in Afghanistan.

There is also the question of Saudi Arabia. Islamabad has very close relations with Riyadh. In Washington arms control and Middle East policy analyst circles, it has long been speculated that, should Iran become a nuclear power, Pakistan would be obliged to provide a nuclear umbrella to protect Saudi Arabia, which financed part of Pakistan's nuclear program. But this is only a theory, of course. What's not a theory is the fact that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have close economic and political relations that are far more extensive and important to Pakistan than anything Iran could offer. In the ensuing cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan is unlikely to leave the Saudi side.

Last but not least, despite the rift, Pakistan still maintains relations with the U.S. It still receives approximately $1.2 billion in annual aid. It will not want to risk losing this.

The recent deal is a victory for Iran, but not one that the U.S. should lose sleep over. In the overall scheme of things, the gas deal has some advantages for the U.S. too. The dangers of Iran expanding its regional influence in limited scale are far less serious than the dangers of the lights going out in an unstable nuclear state such as Pakistan.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 15 Jul 2011 19:48

Iranians can provide Pakistan with gas only if Baluchis allow any pipelines to pass through their territory, and if USA is not really in favor, Baluchis would be provided with better IEDology to blow up the gas pipes.

If Iranians try to provide the gas using LNG carriers, then US Navy can always sink some. If the Iranians provide it over roads in some cryogenic road tankers, again Baluchis may "mind".

Not much going to come from all this.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 15 Jul 2011 20:17

X-Posting...

Rajiv Lather wrote:Fault-lines in Pak establishment. Corps commanders and lower are strongly anti-america (more out of fear of backlash than anything else). Kiyani-Pasha pair is almost neutral with slight tilt towards the anti-america stance. Zardari-Gilani pair is firmly in american camp. Nawaz Sharif and Islamic parties have the backing of Saudis and UAE.

Zardari-Gilani did try to hedge their bets (on army's prompting) and made two trips to China. China is too smart to oblige them. So right now PPP is back in american camp.

The frustrated Pak army tried to take over by replacing PPP with a national government (Imran Khan, Javed Hashmi, Marvi Memon, Jalebi and Quereshi). Remember I mentioned coup alerts in my posts. Americans got wise and really turned on the screws. Army has been clearly warned against taking action against Zardari and party.

The most important decision that will set the future course of action is Pak army operation in N Waziristan. If Pak army refuses, US will come down on them hard; and if they agree there is clear danger of mutiny. The last two army chiefs, Musharaf and Kiyani, both have been subjected to severe questioning by junior officers in various garrisons, the severity bordering on mutiny. The Brigadier who was recently arrested, was one of them.

There is an interesting story going around, I dont remember where I read it. Kayani on one of his garrison visits was accosted by a bunch of rebellious junior officers. The situation turned so bad that a furious Kayani threw his army cap on the ground and threatened to walk out after stepping on the cap. That action is said to have calmed the situation for the time being.

India should be very alert, very ready and in a position to react quickly. But should not do anything that helps Pakistan to wriggle out of Waziristan operation. Americans being americans, will come out with another series of tough demands after operation Waziristan is over.

Pakistan is in a very bad shape, and all this acting tough is mere bluff and bluster. The last nail in the coffin was abandonment by China. The Pak POL stocks are barely enough to last one week.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Jul 2011 21:37

^^ Excellent post

More on it by the next SSS:

Bilateral talks: Zardari to meet Ahmdinejad tomorrow

By Qaiser Butt
Published: July 15, 2011

It will be Zardari’s second meeting with Ahmdinejad in a span of three weeks. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD:

President Asif Ali Zardari will hold a significant meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmdinejad during a day-long visit to Teheran on July 16, highly-placed sources have told The Express Tribune.

It will be Zardari’s second meeting with Ahmedinejad in Teheran in a span of three weeks. The last meeting took place when Zardari, despite serious reservations by Saudi Arabia, attended a two-day international conference against terrorism in Teheran on June 25. After meeting the Iranian president, Zardari traveled to the United Kingdom on a private trip but met UK Prime Minister David Cameron in London on July 1.

The exact purpose of President Zardari’s latest meeting could not be ascertained as surprisingly, Interior Minister Rehman Malik was given the task to arrange the meeting and not the foreign ministry. Malik will accompany Zardari on the trip.

A senior interior ministry official told The Express Tribune that the situation in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of troops by the US would be the main topic of discussion, with a focus on Washington’s ambitions to establish six military bases in Afghanistan.

However, a former Pakistani diplomat believes that Iran’s strained ties with the US and the West would dominate the Zardari-Ahmedinejad dialogue.

A visibly perturbed diplomat from a Middle Eastern country, who requested anonymity, even tried to establish the visit as a follow up of Zardari’s meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London.

The president might be playing a role in bridging the gap between Iran and UK, he said. “He might have brought a message by David Cameron for the Iranian leaders,” the diplomat added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2011.

Update on the negotiations
Negotiated settlement: US discussed prisoner exchange with Taliban

By Qaiser Butt
Published: July 9, 2011

Taliban says militants have demanded release of top commanders. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:

Exchange of prisoners of war between the Taliban and the US was on the agenda when representatives from both sides met in Qatar some time ago, a Taliban source told The Express Tribune.

Tayyub Agha, in-charge of Taliban’s foreign affairs, was sent by Mullah Omar for a dialogue on the exchange of prisoners, the source said.

The exact number of US prisoners of war being held by the Taliban could not be ascertained but the source said they are “few” that were captured from different parts of Afghanistan.

In return, the Taliban are demanding release of their top commanders detained by the United States in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.

German mediation

The Taliban source conceded that high officials from the United Kingdom and Germany also participated in their talks with the United States.

“None of the prisoners in Taliban custody are from the UK or Germany,” he said.

Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul, Mohammad Sadiq had told The Express Tribune last month that the meeting in Qatar was arranged by Germany.

Mullah Zaeef’s role

Taliban sources said that the former Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Zaeef had also played a role to convince the Taliban leadership for a negotiated settlement of the Afghan imbroglio.

Although the former envoy does not have Mullah Omar’s confidence, a few prominent Taliban leaders do have a soft corner for him. Zaeef was one of the top critics of Pakistan for its support to the United States when Washington led international forces attacked Kabul to oust the Taliban regime.

He was then the Taliban ambassador in Islamabad and was later handed over to the CIA which took him to Guantanamo Bay.

‘Betrayal’

Intelligence sources in Islamabad suspect that the Afghan Taliban and the US are still in touch over negotiations regarding the terms and conditions for the exchange of their prisoners.

Officials in Islamabad also suspect that the Taliban and US discussed other issues as well but the Taliban are trying to conceal facts as they insist their discussions with Washington were restricted to issues pertaining to the prisoners of war.

Islamabad is perturbed over the US-Taliban talks as it considers Washington’s move as betrayal.

“The United States is pressing us for a large scale military operation in North Waziristan on one hand and holding talks with the same Taliban on the other,” an official told The Express Tribune requesting anonymity.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is reportedly also disturbed over the US-Taliban secret meetings.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2011.

g.sarkar · Post by **g.sarkar** » 18 Jul 2011 09:25

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 5507.story
"Canada's exit highlights Afghanistan challenges
Other allied nations have made no secret of their wish to follow suit, and the withdrawals will place a heavier burden on those troops left behind. Senior U.S. officials have been reassuring wary Afghans, who say violence is still rampant.
By Laura King, Los Angeles Times
July 16, 2011
Reporting from Kandahar, Afghanistan—
The air conditioning in the cavernous military assembly hall didn't generate enough of a breeze to flutter the long strings of plastic Canadian flags. Some in the audience squirmed in their seats during a lengthy farewell address by an Afghan general. And with that, it was over.
The formal end of the Canadian combat mission, commemorated in a ceremony last week at NATO's main base in the south, marked the first battlefield exit by a core member of the U.S.-led coalition. With the departure of 2,850 combat troops, an ally that had deployed forces to Afghanistan in the earliest days of the nearly 10-year-old war bowed out.
Allied nations with forces in Afghanistan have made no secret of their wish to follow suit, particularly in the wake of President Obama's decision to withdraw 33,000 American troops, about one-third of the total here, by the end of next summer. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, visiting Afghanistan this week, said he planned to bring home 1,000 of France's 4,000 troops by the end of next year. Qualms about the mission have been growing in France, spurred by Wednesday's deaths of five French soldiers in a suicide bombing in eastern Afghanistan.
The German government has also said it wants to pare its presence. Britain said this month it would bring home 450 troops in the next six months.
The pullbacks will place a heavier burden on those troops left behind, most of whom are Americans. Some field commanders have made no secret of their worries that the drawdown is too fast and too steep.
Senior U.S. officials have been energetically seeking to reassure allies and the Afghan people that the American drawdown will not be "precipitous," in the words of Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta. But Western envoys say the U.S. pullback cannot help but trigger a reevaluation of their own military stance......."
Gautam

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 18 Jul 2011 20:58

Killing of Karzai's Adviser Takes Another Hit at the President's Circle

Something sinister is brewing up. Pakis/ISI/Taliban are making these targeted killings to weaken their opposition in a post-US world.

Similar tactics are being used on PPP leadership in Pakistan.

Why can't Afghanistan and others put supari on ISI/TSP/Taliban leadership???

shravan · Post by **shravan** » 19 Jul 2011 14:28

geonews - South Waziristan: Over 20 mortars fired near Angoor Adda from #Afghanistan, 4 FC personnel dead

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 20 Jul 2011 16:11

CIA trains covert units of Afghans to continue fight against Taliban

From ANI

London, July 20: Covert forces of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-trained Afghan paramilitaries are being built up to continue the US-led war on the Taliban as thousands of US troops prepare to leave the country.

According to the Independent, about 400 men are being trained in southern Kandahar province to take part in secret operations against militants as foreign troops prepare to quit Afghanistan by 2014.

Senior figures within one of the forces revealed that foreign military advisers have taught them hand-to-hand combat.

However, the Kandahar Strike Force has been dogged by rights abuse allegations that have raised questions about their role when their foreign handlers leave the country.

Rachel Reid, a senior policy adviser to the Open Society Foundation, said: "These forces are the most shadowy and the most unaccountable in the country and it's a serious problem that nobody's taking responsibility for."

The paramilitary groups are concentrated in eastern and southern Afghanistan where they collect intelligence, secure the border with Pakistan, and launch raids on militants from al-Qa'ida, the Taliban and the host of other militant groups.

Taliban sources have told The Independent that the Kandahar Strike Force is the outfit they fear most.

sum · Post by **sum** » 20 Jul 2011 16:14

^^ Am sure India could help a lot in this area since we are past master at raising irregulars like SSB/ Mukti-Bahini/VDCs/Ikhwanis etc...

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 22 Jul 2011 00:56

Samudragupta wrote:
shyamd wrote:Problem is US is weak now and Tom Donilon says they are "outsourcing" issues to their partenrs in the region. Turkey to handle Syria and Iran for example. Oman was handling areas of the Iran file.
India for Af-Pak?

x post:

Airavat wrote:
The secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation told the BBC this morning that Europe will increasingly have to rely on emerging powers like India and China to step up to the mark on international crisis management. Rasmussen said European leadership such as that seen in Libya would be impossible if defence cuts continue. "I think it is a positive story that the Libya operation has been conducted under the leadership of European allies together with Canada and partners in the region," he said. "For the first time in the history of NATO we have seen an operation not led by the Americans."

"In the longer term perspective, if the current developments continue, the influence of Europe on the international stage will gradually decline because of a lack of critical transport capabilities and critical intelligence gathering capabilities," Rasmussen said. He added: "Because of this lack of capability Europe will not be able to participate in international crisis management and the gap will be filled by emerging powers like India and China – and that is a fact."
Public Service Europe

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 22 Jul 2011 01:57

shyamd wrote: Bilateral talks: Zardari to meet Ahmdinejad tomorrow

Interesting. Looks like aunty is trying to play its dirty game one more time by bringing Pakis and Iran together (they have long-term ties with both the elite groups) to keep Af-Pak away from sub-continent's hands.

Difference between unkil and aunty is that unkil doesn't have aunty's long-term vision and survival skills. I predict aunty going under burkha in next one or two generations and re-emerge as a colonizer.

aunty = Queen land

Vashishtha · Post by **Vashishtha** » 22 Jul 2011 02:27

^^umnn, whose 'aunty' again??

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 22 Jul 2011 03:45

^^^
yes, who exactly is "Aunty?" is it UK?

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 22 Jul 2011 07:45

Devesh/Vashistha,

Yes UK.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 22 Jul 2011 18:17

"sex in theatre''???

What a loverly turn of phrase onlee.

But seriously, a general lagaoing a corporal is really unethical.

Canadian general demoted, fined for sleeping with subordinate

Menard was relieved of his duties in Kandahar and ordered home for engaging in "sex in theatre'' with the female trooper.
Langlois was given an official reprimand and fined $700 in September for sleeping with her boss.

The 45-year-old former general, who quit the military last year, said, "It was clear I was no longer in the club of generals. I felt completely ostracised. I concluded I didn't have a place anymore.''

Once considered a rising star of the Canadian military, Menard is now looking for a job.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 22 Jul 2011 18:19

chetak wrote:"sex in theatre''???

What a loverly turn of phrase onlee.

Canadian general demoted, fined for sleeping with subordinate

What's the big deal? It's all scientific relaxation!

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 22 Jul 2011 18:23

RajeshA wrote:
chetak wrote:"sex in theatre''???

What a loverly turn of phrase onlee.

Canadian general demoted, fined for sleeping with subordinate
What's the big deal? It's all scientific relaxation!

Sex is sex sirjee, only a seriously military moron could dream up the phrase

"sex in theatre"

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 22 Jul 2011 18:45

chetak wrote:"sex in theatre''???

What a loverly turn of phrase onlee.

Canadian general demoted, fined for sleeping with subordinate

I guess the demotion was to an effect, that the two romancers fond of love under the clear Afghan skies, were then to have equal rank, and hence no more problem with rank anymore.

Anyway OT!

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 22 Jul 2011 21:04

Pepe reviews tha late SSS's last book:
The real AfPak deal

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 22 Jul 2011 23:34

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiap ... cnn_latest

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A coalition operation against militants in southeastern Afghanistan has left at least 50 insurgents dead as Afghan and NATO forces swept through a "known Haqqani network" area.